dipoles
|di-pole|
🇺🇸
/ˈdaɪˌpoʊl/
🇬🇧
/ˈdaɪpəʊl/
(dipole)
two opposing poles / a paired opposite
Etymology
'dipole' originates from modern scientific coinage using Greek elements: from Greek 'di-' meaning 'two' and Greek 'pôlos' meaning 'axis, pivot' (later interpreted as 'pole').
'dipole' was formed in the 19th century as a technical term combining the prefix 'di-' and the English word 'pole' (itself from Greek 'pôlos'), becoming the established scientific term 'dipole' in Modern English.
Initially it literally meant 'two poles', but over time it evolved into the specialized physical meaning referring to a pair of equal and opposite charges or magnetic poles separated by a distance.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a pair of equal and opposite electric charges separated by a distance; an electric dipole (often described by its dipole moment).
In many molecules, dipoles arise because electrons are shared unequally between atoms, producing a permanent electric dipoles distribution.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a magnetic dipole: an object or system (like a bar magnet or loop of current) that has north and south magnetic poles or an equivalent magnetic moment.
Small magnets behave like magnetic dipoles, aligning with an external magnetic field.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/15 06:04